[geeks] knife sharpening

[Michael Schiller]

On Tuesday, January 21, 2003, at 09:49 PM, Dan Sikorski wrote:

> Those of you who pocket knives, what equipment and method do you use 
> for
> sharpening?

Although most purists will tell you the ONLY way to sharpen a knife is 
with a stone, I sharpen my blades using a rag wheel mounted on a bench 
grinder. I use a special polishing compound developed by my father 
specifically for sharpening the blades in a belt beveling machine he 
designed maybe 25 years ago or so (Randall's NSB beveler).

I'm pretty sure the folks my parents sold their business to still sell 
it. They are:
Campbell Bosworth Machinery Co. 800-327-9420 
http://www.campbell-bosworth.com
And I believe my cousins also still sell the same polishing compound:
Randall Leather Machinery Inc. 800-223-6018 
http://www.randallmachine.com

I no longer have any interest in either of these companies, although 
I've worked for both of them, and my parents were partners in both of 
them (until 1981 for Randall, 2002 for Campbell).

The trick to sharpening a blade with a rag wheel & compound is to keep 
a finger on the opposite side of the blade and never let the blade get 
too hot. When you can shave the hairs on your arm with it, it's sharp 
enough :)
-Mike
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